There’s not many gardening chores to do during January, but one option is to test the seeds you gathered in the fall and see how well they germinate. At the same time you can also test how well they grow under different conditions.

I prefer using a potting mix which is thoroughly drenched with water and make one pot with the seeds on top and one pot with the seeds covered slightly. I then put the pots in a plastic bag, spray the top with water and close the bag. I then puts the pots under fluorescent lights. Make sure you put labels on each pot.

If you don’t have success either way, you can plant some outside as they might need some better cold stratification.

I’m trying this on Echinacea seeds which have been in the cold garage.